Forget the Horror Here
by chaostheorist
Summary: *** SPOILERS EP FIVE*** Nathan has been arrested for the murders of Chloe Price and Rachel Amber, but what else is Jefferson hiding? How will this affect Nathan and Victoria? Set after episode five if you sacrifice Chloe. TW: Strong language, mentions of suicide/self harm, mention of drugs, alcohol use/abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**VICTORIA POV**

I couldn't believe it was happening. Nathan and Mr. Jefferson being escorted out of Blackwell in handcuffs by the police. It was all too surreal. What the fuck? My best friend had just shot some girl in the bathroom. I knew he was mentally unstable but I had no idea he was this bad. I couldn't even move. I just stood there in shock until they walked out the front entrance.

And then it hit me. I was screaming. I was running after Nathan. He was too far… I couldn't catch him. He was being put into the back of the police car. Tears were streaming down my face. I ran down the stairs, two at a time, and fell onto the window of the police car. Nathan looked up at me, tears streaming down his face. I was screaming, but I couldn't hear any sounds emerging from my mouth. God, how could this happen? My best friend, my security blanket, the one person who I could count on was being fucking taken away from me. I could barely breathe. The next thing I knew, I was being shoved backwards. One policeman was shoving me backwards and I was being yanked back by my arms. I was still screaming, but it was all white noise. Nathan looked so helpless and started crying even more. I wanted to be closer to him. I started pushing forward against the police officers, but it was no help. The police officers went away while two teachers held me back as the police cars drove away with Nathan in it… He didn't take his eyes off of me as the car rounded the corner. And with that, I fell to the ground.

I woke up in my dorm room, in my bed. Thank fuck, it had all just been a dream! I reached for my phone and immediately called Nathan. What the fuck, his phone was off? It was never off. No missed calls either. Nathan usually called me in the middle of the night. He said my voice was soothing… it was 2.08am. I was still in my clothes, so I hopped out of bed and ran to the boy's dormitories. I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw the police security tape all over his door and doorframe. "Fuck, no…" I couldn't believe it. Breathless, I started banging on Nathan's door. "Nathan! Open the fuck up!" No answer. Jesus, please don't tell me that dream was real. I fumbled around in my pocket until I found the spare key to his room that he had given me. I opened his door and it was empty. No bed, no computer, no photos, no couch, no… nothing. It was gone; all fucking gone. I collapsed on the floor and brought my head to my hands. It's as if he had never existed. I opened my phone and looked at the last text he had sent me. "im fine. im ok. just tired. I wanna c u after class k?" To think that had only been about twelve hours ago… Shit. I was screaming again. Tears streaming down my eyes. How could I have let this happen? I should have done more. I protected him so much, but obviously not enough. Before I knew it, sunlight was pouring in through the window, and I was being lifted up. "What the fuck? I muttered as I saw yet another police officer lifted me off the ground. "Missy you're not allowed to be in here. This is an official crime scene."

"Crime scene?" I was slowly becoming more aware of my surroundings as I was gaining consciousness again. "What the fuck, this is my best friends dorm. He hasn't done anything wrong. And even if he did, he didn't mean it. He has severe mental issues."

"Miss, he allegedly killed two young girls. Now you need to get out of here before we forcibly remove you."

I was shocked, until I became angry. "Yeah! Right! You really expect me to believe that my best friend is a murderer? I know him better than anyone, and he would never do something like that…" I paused, "on purpose."

"Well, I'm not sure what else to tell you, Miss. You'll have to leave now though." I clenched my fists and stormed out. There was a large group of students outside Nathan's dorm room, trying to get a peak inside. As soon as I walked out, at least half of them were just staring at me. Most of them had seen my outburst yesterday as I ran to Nathan in the police car. If I was myself at all, I would have been embarrassed at my actions, but I wasn't. I didn't give a fuck about anything right now, apart from Nathan. I couldn't believe all this was real, and to know that his father wouldn't even give a flying fuck. In fact, he would be grateful that Nathan was being locked up. And that kills me. I wanted nothing more than to see him, to hold his hands in mine, kiss his forehead and tell him that everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't. It wasn't going to be okay. I probably wouldn't be able to even see Nathan in a very long time, let alone touch him, let alone hold his hand, let alone embrace him. My best friend has been taken from me, and I had never felt so lost.

I looked up and saw Taylor with Courtney walking towards me. Taylor ran towards me in what seemed like slow motion, and caught me as I collapsed in her arms. I was so weak; we just laid on the ground as half of the group of students were staring at me. I didn't care what they thought. I usually wouldn't let anyone see in such a vulnerable state… Except for Taylor, Courtney… And Nathan. I still can't believe he was gone.

 **NATHAN POV**

I was shoved onto the ground while the police handcuffed me. Fuck. What had I done? I had really fucked up. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I didn't even look up while they escorted me out. I was sitting in the police car when I heard screaming. Victoria… Fuck. I just wanted her to hold me while I cried one more time. I probably would never even see her again. The one person who understood me was being taken away from me. Fucking hell, Nathan, you fuck up. Tears streamed down my face as her hands hit the window, helplessly. I couldn't stand to see her like this. It's as if I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces… Victoria. Oh, Vic. She was being shoved back by policemen as she screamed and cried. I just watched, helpless. My eyes widened. How could I do this to her? Fuck me. What about her? The one person I… loved. And I didn't even tell her. Not once had I told her how much I appreciated her and everything she had done for me. She was my only friend, the only one who actually cared what I was going through, and she was all I had left in this shithole, and just by looking at her, I was destroying her. Fucking Jesus.

The first night in my cell was the worst. Ever since I had been arrested, I was being treated like a criminal, which I was, but I had honestly never meant to shoot Chloe, let alone kill her. Fucking hell. I should have shot myself while I had the chance. But then Victoria would still be a wreck. Ugh, why did she have to care about me? Out of everyone she could have loved, she loved me. How? I don't know. I don't really care right now. All I know is that I want to be out of here and back in her arms. Even thinking like this hurt like a bitch.

I kept having a recurring nightmare of me running through a dark hall, screaming Victoria's name. I could hear laughter; I could hear her saying my name… It's as if I could hear her smile. I kept running and running, but I couldn't find her. I woke up in a cold sweat, crying, holding my pillow as if it was her… But it wasn't. Jesus fuck, what I would do just to hold her one last time… "I'm sorry, Vic," I quietly cried. I dozed off again.


	2. Chapter 2

Victoria POV

Thank God for Sweet-T and Courtney. They pretty much carried me back to my dorm room while I was a sobbing mess. I still couldn't believe it. I kept trying to call Nathan over and over again, in the hopes that he could pick up so I could hear his voice. Taylor and Courtney had to confiscate my phone. I just sat there and cried until I had dried myself up. Was he okay? Was he going to be okay? Jesus. I looked over to my couch and remember all the times we had just sat there, when I held his head on my chest while he cried and cried, when he came to me in the middle of the night because he couldn't sleep or had a nightmare, when I held his hand and he squeezed mine back so tightly I thought he was going to break my fingers… What I would do to have him back. Have him back at Blackwell. Have him back… with me.

It's been three days since I've slept or eaten. It was Thursday. I haven't gone to any classes, although my photography class has been cancelled anyway due to the arrest of Mr. Jefferson, and that's the only class I cared about anyway. I'm still in shock. I've talked to Nathan nearly everyday for the past seven years, and I couldn't take it anymore. I just kept staring at my phone, hoping he would call me, even though I knew that wasn't possible. My parents hadn't even called me… Probably because I hadn't won the Everyday Heroes contest. I used to care about having their approval, but right now, I just cared about Nathan. I just wanted to hear his laugh again, to hear him saying my name. Fuck. I was breaking down again. I wondered how I even had any tears left. I brought my legs up to my chest. I've been wearing the same oversized cream sweater for the past three days, and my room smells strongly of tobacco. You weren't supposed to smoke inside, but I didn't give a fuck. The teachers knew, but they didn't do anything to stop me; they knew I was a wreck. I reached for the TV remote and turned it on. "Nathan Prescott, 19, has been arrested for the alleged murder of Chloe Price and Rachel Amber. The teen, along with his art teacher, and international-known photographer, Mark Jefferson, will go on trial next week. The process has been allegedly sped-up dramatically thanks to Nathan's father, Sean Prescott, who has apparently donated funds to Arcadia Bay's highest justice authoritarians. Sean Prescott was unavailable for comment at this time." I just stared at the screen as the young journalist kept talking, her long brown hair slowly being blown in the wind. She was standing in front of the courthouse in Arcadia Bay. It was a small town, and I'm surprised we even had one. However, Sean Prescott pretty much bought anything and everything he ever wanted, so in a way, I wasn't surprised at all. I turned the TV on mute as I lit another cigarette. Jesus, I was on my fifth packet in three days. I laid down on my couch, my feet dangling over the edge facing the door. I watched as I blew the smoke out of my mouth. A part of me had been ripped from me. What were people thinking? Probably that I was a fucking loony. I didn't care. I just wanted Nathan to be okay and safe.

I was finishing off my cigarette when I heard a knock on the door. "Fuck," I muttered as I quickly put out my cigarette in the ashtray on my coffee table, and got up and sprayed deodorant around my room. "Who is it?" I choked.

"Max…" she paused, "Caulfield."

What the fuck did she want? I groaned. "What do you want, Max?"

"I need to talk to you… About Nathan." I paused. What the fuck? I quickly looked in the mirror. I looked like absolute shit. The bags under my eyes were horrendous, my cheekbones looked hollowed out, and my hair looked like a birds nest. I sighed and creaked the door open, just so I could see her. "What do you want, Max?"

She paused, "Can I come in?" I looked back at my room. It was an absolute mess. Clothes all over the ground, I had smashed my old camera, my bong was on the coffee table, there were shreds of magazines all over the place, there were even cigarette buds scattered around the room.

"Yes, whatever" I said coldly and opened the door. I realized I didn't give a fuck what she thought. She walked in and just awkwardly stood there. This was stressing me out, so I sat back down on the couch and lit another cigarette. "Okay, Caulfield, speak. Get this over and done with."

She sighed, "Are you okay?" she asked as she looked around.

I choked, "Are you fucking stupid?"

She was taken aback. I didn't care. How dumb could she be? "Sorry, stupid question," she said quietly. "I've just been worried about you. I haven't seen you in any classes and I can hear you crying from across the hall and— "

"Yeah well my best friend just got arrested, for a crime he probably didn't commit, and— "

"Victoria," she hesitated, "Nathan did kill Chloe."

What the fuck was her problem, "Fuck off he did."

"Victoria, I was there."

It was as if I had stopped breathing. I couldn't even speak.

"I'm not going to say anything if I don't have to. I was able to get out before Mr. Madsen took him away. I was there for Nathan. I comforted him; he didn't mean to kill Chloe…" And now she was crying, for fucks sake. "He begged me not to tell anyone… I haven't, for him, for you." I looked up and wiped my tears away.

"What do you mean?"

"He told me to tell you that he's sorry."

"Anything else?"

"That's all he could get out. He loves you, Victoria. I'm sure you'll be seeing him soon."

My phone started ringing. What the fuck, a blocked number? "Sorry, I better take this."

"Yeah, Victoria, of course. Text me if you need anything."

"You too," I said as she walked out the door and closed it behind her. What a strange day.

"Hello?" I answered cautiously.

"Vic…" I stopped breathing.

"Nathan…" I exhaled. "Holy fuck, Nate. What the fuck, oh my god."

"I know," he was crying. I could recognize his crying anywhere. I could recognize his voice anywhere. "I'm so sorry, Vic. I don't know what I was thinking, I guess I wasn't, I'm so sorry, Vic, I'm so sorry."

I was sobbing so hard by this time. "Nate, please, listen to me…" he was nearly wheezing, and it broke me apart all over again. "You have to be strong… Everything is going to be okay. Where are you now?"

"I'm at the Arcadia Bay prison. Vic, don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not. But I have been chain-smoking for the past three days…" I paused, "I miss you, Nathan."

"Victoria," he paused. He wasn't going to say it back. He was terrible at showing any signs of love or affection. "I have to sa- " I heard banging in the background. "I have to go, I'm sorry." And that was it. The phone hung up. Jesus. It was so good to hear his voice, but he was probably more broken than I was. And for the first time in days, I passed out.

I woke up to someone banging on my door. Jesus, what time was it? I reached for my phone. 9:08pm. I had only been asleep for a few hours. Fucking hell. I opened my door, without bothering to check whom it was. It was Principal Wells.

"Hello, Miss Chase. We need to speak with you." Sean Prescott was standing next to him.

"Hello, Vicky," he said in a monotonous tone.

I ran a hand through my hair and wiped my mouth as I walked into the hall and closed the door behind me.

"Nathan's trial has been brought up to next Monday, and we'd just like to say that you are more than welcome to come. I'm sure Nathan needs the support," Principal Wells said. I looked at Sean, but he didn't say anything. He just fidgeted with his hands while looking past me. I nodded, "Yes, of course I'll be there." It felt like my heart was palpitating. I finally got to see Nathan next week, but not the way I wanted.

"Okay, Miss Chase, please take care. There is a counselor on site if you need to speak to someone."

I nodded as they both walked away. Fuck, his father didn't even seem to care. I guess he cared enough to pay his way for the trial to be sooner, but I'm assuming there were some ulterior motives for that.

I walked to the bathroom after that to wash my face. Taylor was in there. "Hey, I tried to come to your room earlier but you were asleep."

I looked down, "Yeah, sorry."

"How are you doing?"

I walked towards her, "Fucking great," I said sarcastically. "Um, Nathan called me… From the prison."

"Oh my god, what's happening?"

I broke down again, "He… He sounded broken, T. I feel so helpless."

I leant over the sink as I sobbed. Fuck, I just couldn't stop crying. "Hey, Vic, there's nothing you could do…"

"I know that, T. Fuck," I nearly screamed. "Jesus, you never understood Nathan and I, no one did. Just leave me alone." I stormed out. I was probably a bit harsh on her, but I didn't care; it was the truth. I went into my room and lit another cigarette and took a swig of vodka that was on the floor next to my bed. I didn't give a fuck, these were the only things that were keeping me sane at the moment. I sat down on the edge of my bed and rested my arms on my inner thighs. Jesus. I stared at my phone while taking swigs of vodka for the next hour until I passed out again.

I woke up feeling like absolute shit. How much had I had to drink? I couldn't even think straight. I felt numb. I looked down at the bottle of vodka and it was empty. Oh my god, that was a two-litre bottle that I had drunk. Straight. Jesus. I didn't get far until I vomited. At least I had crawled over to my bin. I was crying again. I looked down at my hands and they were a light blue colour. I looked out the window and the sun was rising. Fuck, it was like 5am. My breaths was slowing down, I felt so dizzy as I threw up again. I was starting to lose sense of my surroundings. Had I taken some sort of drug as well? My god. It was freezing in my room… I grabbed at my phone and called Nathan. Why wasn't he answering? For fucks sake, just when I needed him. I was so confused. I called Taylor, "Taylor, pick the fuck up," I said, slurring my words.

"Hm, hello?" a tired Taylor answered.

"Go get Nathan."

"Vic, he's in prison."

"Nah, what? Lol, nah. Go get him I need him I'm really sick," I said quickly without pausing.

Before I knew it, Taylor was in my room, holding my head on her lap. "Vic, we've called 911, you're going to be okay."

I laughed, "Yeah, 911, right. Where's Nate?"

She sighed, "Vic, you're confused, and you're wasted, and you're sick. You'll be okay," she said gently. Before I knew it, I was opening my eyes in a white room.

"Huh?" I said, confused as I looked down at my arm attached to a drip. "What the fuck?" I muttered. I looked up and Taylor was sitting next to me, her eyes closed. "Taylor…" I managed to get out. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me, yawning.

"Hey, babe. How are you feeling?"

"What the fuck happened?"

"You got alcohol poising. They had to pump your stomach…"

I looked down and touched my stomach gently. "What? What time is it?"

"It's 9.34pm, on Friday." At least I had finally caught up on sleep.

"Oh my god. Have you been here the whole time?"

"Not the whole time. Courtney and I have been alternating." I smiled softly. "Thanks, Sweet-T. That… That means a lot." She smiled back at me. "And I'm sorry about my outburst earlier."

"It's okay, V. You're under a lot of stress right now… So I understand."

I nodded, "Any word from Nathan?"

She shook her head, "The trial is on Monday though."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know. Principal Wells and Nathan's father showed up at my room the other day. It was so odd. Sean didn't even say anything," I said slowly and looked down. "I wish he cared about Nathan more."

"I know, Vic. But look at everything you've done for him. He appreciates every little part of you."

I smiled softly, looking down at my hands, which I had been holding together. "Yeah, I know." My thoughts drifted to Nathan as I fell asleep again.

I woke up and the sun was rolling in through the window. I looked to the seat next to me and I saw Nathan. My heart raced. What the hell was he doing here?! "Nathan…" I said softly.

He looked up and smiled softly at me. "Vic, hey. I had to come and see you… I had to make sure you were alright, first hand." He scooted his chair towards me and held my hand gently, resting them on the bed together.

"Nathan…" was all I could get out.

He smiled at me again, "I'm so happy I could see you, Vic. I… I miss you."

I looked him straight in the eyes. I was shocked that he had even said this; he must be hurting so much… "I love you, Nathan," I started crying. "You're my best friend, I've been so lost without you, and I'm sorry I did something so fucking stupid to put you under more stress."

He linked his fingers in-between mine and squeezed them tight, "Don't worry about it, Vic. Please. I'm just so glad that I could come and see you." He stood up without letting go of my hand and kissed me on the forehead lightly. That's when I woke up.

I slowly opened my eyes, in a daze. The seat next to me was filled with Taylor. "Where's Nathan?" I asked, sad. Taylor looked puzzled.

"Um, in jail, Vic…" she sat and looked past me.

"No! T he was just here! Sitting next to me, holding my hand…"

"Tori, you may have been hallucinating… You're still recovering from alcohol poisoning." Tears filled my eyes. Jesus fuck, I can't believe this was happening to me. I wonder if they had told Nate I was in the hospital, I sure hope not; I didn't want to stress him out any more than he already was. "Aw, Vic," Taylor said and held my hand. "It's going to be okay, I'm sure everything will work out in his favour, I'm sure his father will make sure of that."

I sobbed, "Sean doesn't give a fuck. He'll be happy if Nathan goes to jail. That means he won't have to deal with him anymore."

Taylor looked down, obviously not knowing what to say, and I didn't blame her. "What's the time?" I asked, changing the subject.

"1.04pm. Friday." I sighed. I still felt like shit. Taylor and I just started talking about random shit. How the Vortex Club party got cancelled, how her classes were going… I pretty much talked about anything to make my heart stop wrenching, but it was impossible. My thoughts were still on Nathan.

The weekend was difficult. I was released from hospital the next day and everyone was talking about Nate and I. There were rumors circulating that I had tried to commit suicide. Max was particularly nice, considering that Nathan had killed her friend. She came to my room once on Saturday and twice on Sunday, just to make sure I was doing okay. She still pissed me the fuck off, but I guess she was being kind of nice, so I was nice to her back. I didn't have the energy to be rude, so I just kept as neutral as possible, only talked back when I needed to and when people asked me questions. That was pretty much my whole deal of talking at the moment. I felt like being alone, but I also felt like I needed to be surrounded by people to feel loved. Nathan wasn't here anymore to fill the hole, so I had to use other people in order to feel whole again. It didn't work, but it kept me at least a little bit sane.

I barely slept Sunday night. I kept waking up in a cold sweat. My nights were dreamless, but I assumed it was because my reality was a nightmare.

I was a mess on Monday morning. Taylor had agreed to accompany me to Nathan's trial, as I was a wreck and probably would be by the end of it. For the first time in a week, I looked decent. Taylor did my makeup and Courtney did my hair; I was too shaky to do anything with my hands. I was able to get dressed at least, but Taylor picked my outfit. A pair of designer black pants with a white cashmere button up, along with my gold watch and diamond necklace. I checked my phone. "Good luck with today. Love Mom and Dad." I grunted. That's it? I couldn't say I was surprised, but it still hurt like a bitch. I slipped on my regular pair of shoes before I walked out the hall. A few of the girls were out there, staring at me. I didn't give a fuck.

The drive to the courthouse was unbearably long. My anxiety levels were the highest they had been in a very long time. I hope Nathan was okay, although I knew that he most certainly wasn't.

Nathan POV

I don't think I've ever felt lonelier. I spent most of my time in my cell crying. Thinking about how fucked up I was… Was this all my fault? Jesus. I just wanted to be out of here, where I could smell the fresh air and get high with Vic and… Just be with her. She always made me feel better when I was feeling fucked up. I had spent so many years relying on her, which I knew wasn't good, but she was there for me when no one else was. My recurring nightmare of running around trying to find Victoria was imminent every time I drifted off, and it was fucked up.

Every day was similar, I just drew fucked up drawings like usual, I had meetings with lawyers and my father, and found out my trial was on Monday morning. Not having freedom was the worst thing in the world. I lost track of the days until I was forced out my cell one morning to see my father.

"It's time, son." I sighed as he handed me a designer navy blue suit and a pair of black dress shoes. I went into a small room to get changed and walked back out. "Fix your hair, Nathan. Jesus." That was the last thing I gave a fuck about right now, but Dad had actually brought my hair gel. "You can do it in the car," he said as he grabbed my arm and pushed me towards the car. A black limousine, I wasn't even surprised. Two cop cars followed us as we drove to the courthouse. I finished slicking my hair back when my father looked at me. "Just don't fuck it up, son. Remember, you're pleading guilty, but on a case of mental illness."

I sighed, "Yeah, I fucking know, alright?" For once, my father didn't make a snarky comment in return.

"Nathan, it's going to be okay. I've… Made sure of that." I knew exactly what he meant. He had bribed everyone. I wasn't surprised, but I still wasn't sure what to expect. I mean I fucking killed someone for fucks sake. But I sure as hell didn't kill Rachel. I didn't even know she was dead until I was told a few days… Which was another reason why I was such a wreck. I wouldn't call us close, but who knows what other people thought of us? I never wanted to hurt her, but Jefferson blackmailed me to drug her so he could take photos of her. I agreed and then that fuck head drugged me as well. When I woke up, I was lying on the couch in the dark room, and Jefferson on the computer. When I asked where Rachel was, he simply said, "Dead. You killed her, don't you remember?" I remember still being out of it, but so fucking angry. I didn't kill her, but that was his fucking story now. I was so doped up I could barely move, as if I would be able to kill someone. Jesus, I wish I could kill that son of a bitch. He… Used me; manipulated me and made me feel like a somebody in such a fucked up way. I felt like he needed me, but at least I was realizing now that he didn't. It was fucked; I was fucked.

I leaned my head against the window and breathed in deeply. I was nervous as fuck, and for some reason it had just hit me. We rounded a corner and the courthouse was in sight. As I got out of the car, at least a dozen cameramen and journalists surrounded me. I was told not to say anything, so I didn't. My father and my lawyer pushed through the crowd for me until we reached the main hall where we stood there for a bit. The press wasn't allowed inside, thank fuck. We were a bit early so I was able to just stand there, taking in the somewhat fresh air, trying not to have a panic attack. I saw the door open again, and that's when I saw her. Victoria.


End file.
